Page 25 of The Prince's Game
“Well, now he wants to organize a dance class. Apparently you and the Latina girl were having some fun in The Quarter yesterday, and he wants to capitalize on it. He’s thinking about a competition where you take the most talented of them all to dinner.”
I stared at the phone.Latina girl? Really?And a dancing competition sounded like a way for Paul to embarrass everyone.
“Her name is Sarah, Mother. And I would rather go out on the yacht. Nix the dancing. There wouldn’t be a competition with the way she moves.” His compliment didn’t warm me as much as the irritation in his tone when correcting Ellen Mershano.
“All right. I’ll talk to him. Oh, and have you thought about who will get the other key to your wing?”
His body went rigid. “Yes.”
“Who?”
“It’ll be a surprise, Mother. You like surprises.”
“Are you falling for one of them?” There was hope in Ellen’s voice that confused me. She was forcing her son to marry a woman from a dating show, yet that tone spoke of a mother who wanted happiness for her son. Maybe even love.
“I’m hanging up now. Good night.” He hit the end key and set the phone on the nightstand. His fingers combed through my hair as I rested on top of him. Those chocolate irises swirled with a hundred emotions. “This show is going to leave a black mark on my soul.”
13
Heavy-Petting Requirement
I scooted down and folded my arms on his chest to rest my chin on them. His hand drifted down to draw obscure patterns across my shoulders. The other was behind his head again as he stared down at me.
“So, say I didn’t exist. What would you do at the end of this show?” I wondered.
“I would propose to someone tolerable, give her a healthy dose of what reality would look like for her after the show, and hope like hell she’d call off the engagement.” He shrugged. “It’s harsh, but my life isn’t a fairy tale, like some might believe. I work a lot, I’m never home, and my job will always come first.”
All values I understood. “And if that failed?”
“Then I guess I would get married and have a relationship similar to my parents’, minus my father’s proclivities.” He had forgone the razor the last few days, and his chin was decorated with a delectable smattering of stubble. I wanted to rub my face against him like a cat. It would undoubtedly make me purr. “I would still be cheating on her, though. My job is a demanding mistress.”
“How are you getting by with all this filming and not working?”
“Delegation. My management team is going to require a long vacation when I get back into the swing of things.”
“Hence your planned dose of reality.”
His dimples made an appearance. “Exactly.”
“And do you feel bad eliminating the girls?” Because it seemed to bother him.
“Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s complicated. They’re here for my money and name, not me. But some of them are actually pretty nice, like your two friends. Lily and Patty. Tiffany is sweet, too.”
“Calling them my friends might be a bit of a stretch, as we just met, but yeah, they’re pretty down-to-earth. Some of the others, though, are pieces of work.” Georgiana was becoming my least favorite person here. She had a sharp tongue and a nasty personality. Amber wore a pretty exterior, but something about her wasn’t right.Yet . . .“You seem to like Amber, too.”
He scoffed. “My parents love Amber. I’m about seventy-five percent sure they paid her to be here.”
“What?”
“Call it a hunch. She’s exactly what my mom wants as a daughter-in-law, and my father has a penchant for southern blondes.” He shook his head. “I can’t prove it, but she’s saying all the right things. As if she was coached.”
“Or maybe she’s your soul mate.” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “I hear they exist.”
“Yeah? Maybe you’re my soul mate.”
The flutter in my chest was unexpected and unwelcome. I kept it light. “Nah, I’m just the negotiator.”
“A hot negotiator.” His hand stroked up and down my spine. “Visiting you might have to become a nightly thing. I haven’t felt this relaxed since the whole nightmare started.”
